Selig appoints committee to study Oakland’s stadium situation

Bud Selig and Major League Baseball are going to do some fact-finding to determine what the next move should be for Lew Wolff’s Oakland A’s. Here is the text of the press release from MLB that was just handed out:

“After meeting with ownership and management of the Oakland Athletics in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that he has appointed a committee to thoroughly analyze all of the ballpark proposals that have been made to date, the current situation in Oakland, and the prospects of obtaining a ballpark in any of the communities located in Oakland’s territory.

Oakland’s current lease expires in 2010 with three one-year club options beyond that date.

The committee will be chaired by Bob Starkey, a stadium expert and financial consultant for Major League Baseball. It also will consist of Corey Busch, a former baseball executive, and Irwin Raij, a lawyer with Foley and Lardner who worked extensively on both the Washington and Miami ballpark proposals. They will work with MLB President & Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy and will provide a written report to the Commissioner at the conclusion of their analysis.

“Lew Wolff and the Oakland ownership group and management have worked very hard to obtain a facility that will allow them to compete into the 21st Century,” Commissioner Selig said. “To date they, like the two ownership groups in Oakland before them, have been unsuccessful in those efforts, despite having the significant support of their corporate partner Cisco. The time has come for a thorough analysis of why a stadium deal has not been reached. The A’s cannot and will not continue indefinitely in their current situation.”

Jon Becker

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Is it coincidental that MLB gets involved in the same year the A’s are poised to have a breakout season ?

Insert Holliday and this is the best hitting lineup I’ve seen for Oakland in a long time

A’s Fan

It looks like the A’s are another step closer to moving to San Jose. This commission is just going to show what everyone knows – the A’s have to move to San Jose or leave the Bay Area. I’m hoping they move to San Jose.